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WILTON, Conn. -- A Washington man accused of stealing mail in Wilton was indicted on fraud and identity theft charges.

A federal grand jury in New Haven returned a four-count indictment charging Elijah Chin, 27, of Federal Way, Washington, with fraud and identity theft offenses, according to Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut. The indictment was returned on Sept. 21 and announced Thursday.

Chin was arrested by Wilton Police in February after residents reported seeing him driving around town and stealing mail out of mail boxes.

Chin appeared before a magistrate judge in Hartford on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He was released on a $250,000 bond.

The indictment charges that between December 2016 and February 2017, Chin was involved in a scheme in which credit card accounts were opened electronically using personal identifying information from Connecticut residents. After the credit car issuers mailed credit card to the victims' home addresses, Chin took the cards directly from the victims' mailboxes, Daly said. He then used them to purchase gift cards, pre-paid cards and other items at various retail establishments in Connecticut, according to Daly.

Chin was indicted on two counts of wire fraud, which carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison on each count, and two counts of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of two years in prison.

This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Wilton Police Department and Ridgefield Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.